Fish processing system and method

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for processing fish are provided which enable cutting of the fish and removal of the viscera without damage to either the viscera or the remaining fish product. The systems may include an adjustable cutting device to cut the belly in a particularly unobtrusive manner and/or an adjustable gutting device to severe a gullet of the fish from the fish body and to gather and remove the viscera without significant damage to the viscera or the remaining fish product. Extractors for severing the connection between the gullet and the fish are also provided to assist in removal of the viscera, including the gonads. Vacuum head assemblies for cleaning a cavity of the fish after the viscera is removed are also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/521,259, filed Aug. 8, 2011 and61/538,752, filed Sep. 23, 2011, the entire disclosures of which areherein incorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

This disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for processingfish, and more particularly to systems and methods for cutting the bellyof a fish, severing the gullet connection to the body of the fish andremoving the viscera from the body without significant damage to thebody or the viscera.

2. Description of the Related Art

In some fish products, the head is removed at the gills, leaving a hardcartilage structure on the head end of the fish called the collar. Theviscera, including the gonads (roe or milt) are removed, the kidneymembrane is cut and the kidney is removed with water sprays and brushes.In the salmon industry, this product is called a head and gut productwhich is a valuable commodity. In recent years the value of intact roe(female gonads) has also increased making it a valuable commodity aswell. However, if the roe skein is cut or otherwise damaged, the valueof the roe is greatly diminished. Some markets also value the undamagedmilt (male gonads).

In many fish, including salmon, the gullet is attached only to thecollar, and the viscera are firmly attached only to the gullet and theanal vent or anus. In most fish caught in saltwater, where the highestvolume of commercial fish is caught, the connection of the viscera tothe vent is not strong, and is easily broken when cleaning the fish.Disconnecting the gullet from the collar, however, is significant toproper cleaning of most fish, and significant to avoiding damage to thegonads.

Machines for cutting open the belly, removing the viscera and cleaningthe belly cavity have been in use for many years. Some machines requiredetaching the gullet from the body prior to processing. Some allow thegullet to be intact before processing, but do not reliably remove thegullet. When the gullet is not cut free or does not break free from thebody during processing, the remainder of the viscera does not separatefrom the fish, the valuable roe or milt is damaged and the fish is notcleaned properly, thereby increasing labor costs and downgrading valueof the fish product.

Example systems and methods for processing fish are described in U.S.Pat. Nos. 3,925,846; 4,563,793; 4,630,335; 5,352,152; and 5,413,524.

While known systems have been generally effective to process fish, thesystems suffer from various deficiencies and shortcomings, such as, forexample, inadvertent damage to the gonads or remaining fish structureduring processing which diminishes the value of the processed fishand/or recovered fish parts. As another example, many known systems areincapable of effectively adjusting to variations in the size, shapeand/or firmness of the fish being processed in a reliable and repeatablemanner.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The systems and methods of processing fish described herein provide forthe efficient and reliable removal the viscera from a fish, with thecollar intact, without damage or with minimal damage to the viscera orthe fish. This can be accomplished without regard to significantvariations in the fish size, shape and/or firmness, and also withoutregard to individual variations in arrangement and location of theinternal viscera of the fish. The systems and methods may furtherprovide particularly effective cleaning of a cavity of the fish afterthe viscera is removed.

In some embodiments, an extractor may be optimally positioned to enterthe fish below the backbone and above the gullet thereof, yet exit thefish at the anal vent without impalement. This may be accomplished, forexample, with an actuator or other device which positions the extractorat a first height for when the extractor enters the fish and moves theextractor to a second height to exit the anal vent without significantdamage. In some embodiments, a profile of a tip of the extractor may beconfigured to severe the gullet from the collar in a particularlyreliable manner without significant damage to the gullet or otherstructures of the fish. According to some embodiments, when theextractor enters the fish body, movable wing members positioned belowthe extractor may open to gather the viscera. After the extractor movesto exit the fish or during the movement of the extractor, the wingmembers may close to assist in severing the connection between theviscera and the fish. Movement of the extractor and the opening andclosing of the wing members may be controlled to move at the same ordifferent times during a gutting operation. Movement of the extractorand/or the wing members may be controlled or triggered by movement oftension rollers engaging conveyor belts which may be transporting thefish, a lever or other mechanism that senses or contacts the top of thefish during transport, actuators (e.g., air cylinders) coupled todevices that sense or contact the collar or another part of the fishduring transport or other sensing and control devices positioned alongthe transport path of the fish through the fish processing system.

In some embodiments, a blade for cutting the belly of the fish may bemovably coupled to the fish processing system to enable the blade totrack a profile of the fish during a cutting operation. A guide may becoupled to the blade to move in unison therewith and the guide may bepositioned to be inserted into a body of the fish to guide the fishacross the blade during the cutting operation. A linkage mechanism maybe coupled to the guide and configured to enable the guide to move inresponse to the profile of the fish without substantial angular rotationof the guide as the guide moves through a length of the fish during thecutting operation. For instance, the linkage mechanism may include linksforming a parallelogram such that an angular orientation of a floatinglink and components fixedly coupled thereto (e.g., the guide) ismaintained substantially constant throughout movement of the linkagemechanism.

A fish processing system may be summarized as including a blade toincise a belly of a fish when the fish is transported from an upstreamlocation across the blade and a gutting device positioned downstream ofthe blade, the gutting device including an extractor movably coupled tothe fish processing system to selectively position a tip of theextractor relative to anatomy of the fish during a gutting operation.The extractor may be configured to enter the fish at a first heightbelow a backbone and above a gullet of the fish and exit the fish at asecond height that is substantially aligned with an anal vent of thefish. The extractor may be configured to automatically move from thefirst height to the second height during an interval in which the tip ofthe extractor moves through a length of the fish during the guttingoperation. The fish processing system may further include an actuatorcoupled to the extractor to move the extractor between the first heightand the second height during the gutting operation. The fish processingsystem may further include a sensor positioned to sense a location ofthe fish during the gutting operation and trigger the actuator to movethe extractor. When viewing the extractor in a direction along alongitudinal length thereof, a profile of the tip of the extractor mayinclude a central portion disposed between opposing downwardly opengrooves. The opposing downwardly opposing grooves of the extractor maybe positioned to assist in severing a gullet of the fish from a collarof the fish without significant damage to the collar.

The gutting device may further include a pair of opposing wing membersconfigured to move between an open configuration and a closedconfiguration. The wing members may be configured to enter a fish in theclosed configuration and thereafter move to the open configuration togather viscera of the fish. The wing members may be further configuredto move from the open configuration toward the closed configuration toassist in severing the viscera from the fish prior to when the wingmembers exit the fish. Movement of the wing members may be coordinatedwith movement of the extractor. The wing members may be configured totransition from the open configuration to the closed configuration atabout the same time when the extractor moves from a first height to asecond height lower than the first height. The wing members may beconfigured to transition from the open configuration to the closedconfiguration after the extractor moves from a first height to a secondheight lower than the first height. The wing members may be configuredto transition from the closed configuration to the open configurationafter the extractor enters the fish and a leading edge of eachrespective wing member is near a collar of the fish.

The fish processing system may further include a vacuum head assemblypositioned downstream of the gutting device to clean a cavity of thefish after the gutting operation. The vacuum head assembly may includeat least one flexible suction member located to flex in response to theanatomy of the fish as the fish moves across the vacuum head assemblyduring a cleaning operation. The vacuum head assembly may furtherinclude a fluid jet passage to discharge fluid into the cavity of thefish as the fish moves across the vacuum head assembly during thecleaning operation. The vacuum head assembly may further include a bodyhaving a stop portion to limit movement of the at least one flexiblesuction member during the cleaning operation. The vacuum head assemblymay include at least two sequentially positioned suction members toclean the cavity of the fish during the cleaning operation.

A fish processing system may be summarized as including a blade toincise a belly of a fish when the fish is transported from an upstreamposition across the blade; a guide positioned to be inserted into a bodyof the fish to guide the position of the fish as the belly is cut by theblade during a cutting operation; and a linkage mechanism coupled to theguide and the blade, the linkage mechanism configured to enable theguide to move in response to a profile of the fish without substantialangular rotation of the guide as the guide moves through a length of thefish during the cutting operation. The linkage mechanism may beconfigured to limit the angular rotation of the guide to five degrees orless as the guide moves through the length of the fish during thecutting operation. The linkage mechanism may be configured to maintainthe guide at the same spatial orientation as the guide moves through thelength of the fish during the cutting operation. The linkage mechanismmay include a pair of links which operate in a parallel relationshipthroughout movement of the guide during the cutting operation.

A fish processing system may be summarized as including a blade toincise a belly of a fish when the fish is transported from an upstreamlocation across the blade; and a gutting device positioned downstream ofthe blade, the gutting device including a pair of opposing wing membersmovable between an open configuration and a closed configuration, thewing members configured to enter the fish in the closed configurationand thereafter move to the open configuration to gather viscera of thefish during a gutting operation. The wing members may be furtherconfigured to move from the open configuration toward the closedconfiguration to assist in severing the viscera from the fish prior towhen the wing members exit the fish. Movement of the wing members may becoordinated with movement of an extractor of the gutting device which ispositioned to sever a gullet from the fish during the gutting operation.

A fish processing system may be summarized as including a blade toincise a belly of a fish when the fish is transported from an upstreamlocation across the blade; and a gutting device positioned downstream ofthe blade, the gutting device including an extractor and a guide, theguide movably coupled to the fish processing system to selectivelyposition the guide such that a tip of the extractor enters a head end ofthe fish below a backbone and above a gullet of the fish and exits atail end of the fish substantially aligned with or below an anal vent ofthe fish during a gutting operation. The guide may be configured toautomatically move from a first height to a second height during aninterval in which the tip of the extractor moves through a length of thefish during the gutting operation. An actuator may be coupled to theguide to move the guide between the first height and the second heightduring the gutting operation. A sensor may be positioned to sense alocation of the fish during the gutting operation and trigger theactuator to move the guide. The gutting device may further include apair of opposing wing members configured to move between an openconfiguration and a closed configuration. Movement of the wing membersmay be coordinated with movement of the guide. The wing members may beconfigured to transition from the open configuration to the closedconfiguration at about the same time when a tip of the guide moves froma first height to a second height higher than the first height or thewing members may be configured to transition from the open configurationto the closed configuration after the guide moves from the first heightto the second height.

The fish processing system may further include an upstream guidepositioned to be inserted into a body of the fish to guide the positionof the fish as the belly is cut by the blade during a cutting operation;and a linkage mechanism coupled to the upstream guide and the blade, thelinkage mechanism configured to enable the upstream guide to move inresponse to a profile of the fish as the upstream guide moves through alength of the fish during the cutting operation. The fish processingsystem may further include a vacuum head assembly positioned downstreamof the gutting device to clean a cavity of the fish after the guttingoperation, the vacuum head assembly including at least one flexiblesuction member located to flex in response to the anatomy of the fish asthe fish moves across the vacuum head assembly during a cleaningoperation.

An extractor to separate a gullet from a fish may be summarized asincluding an elongated base and a leading tip at an end of the elongatedbase, a profile of the leading tip having a central portion disposedbetween opposing downwardly open grooves when viewing the profile of theleading tip in a direction along a longitudinal length of the extractor.The opposing downwardly open grooves may be v-shaped. A lower profilesection of the central portion may be substantially flat. A lowerprofile section of the central portion may be arcuate. A lower profilesection of the central portion may be concave and an upper profilesection of the central portion may be convex. The opposing downwardlyopposing grooves may be positioned to assist in severing the gullet ofthe fish from a collar of the fish without significant damage to thecollar.

A vacuum head assembly of a fish processing system may be summarized asincluding a main body having a suction cavity and at least one flexiblesuction member coupled to the suction cavity of the main body, theflexible suction member configured to flex in response to anatomy of afish as the fish moves across the vacuum head assembly during a cleaningoperation. The vacuum head assembly may further include a fluid jetpassage to discharge fluid into a cavity of the fish as the fish movesacross the vacuum head assembly during the cleaning operation. The mainbody of the vacuum head assembly may include a stop portion to limitmovement of the at least one flexible suction member during the cleaningoperation. The vacuum head assembly may include at least twosequentially positioned flexible suction members to clean a cavity ofthe fish during the cleaning operation.

A method of processing a fish may be summarized as includingtransporting a fish across a blade to cut a belly of the fish during acutting operation; transporting the fish across a gutting device toremove viscera of the fish with gonads intact during a guttingoperation; and manipulating an extractor of the gutting device to passthrough the fish at different elevations while transporting the fishacross the gutting device during the gutting operation. The method ofprocessing a fish may further include moving wing members of the guttingdevice between an open configuration and a closed configuration whiletransporting the fish across the gutting device during the guttingoperation to gather and severe the viscera from the fish. The method ofprocessing a fish may further include severing a gullet from the fish atleast in part with a leading end of an extractor having a profile whichincludes a central portion disposed between opposing downwardly opengrooves. The method of processing a fish may further include moving aposition of the blade via a linkage mechanism in response to a profileof the fish during the cutting operation, the linkage mechanism rigidlycoupled to a guide that is configured to trace the profile of the fishwithout substantial angular rotation of the guide as the guide movesthrough a length of the fish during the cutting operation. The method ofprocessing a fish may further include passing the fish over a flexiblevacuum member to clean a cavity of the fish after the viscera isremoved.

A method of processing a fish may be summarized as transporting a fishacross a blade to incise a belly of the fish; and passing the fishacross a gutting device positioned downstream of the blade such that atip of an extractor of the gutting device enters a head end of the fishbelow a backbone and above a gullet thereof and exits a tail end of thefish substantially aligned with or below an anal vent thereof. Themethod may further include moving the extractor from a first height to asecond height lower than the first height during an interval in whichthe tip of the extractor moves through a length of the fish. The methodmay further include moving a guide upstream of the extractor from afirst height to a second height higher than the first height during aninterval in which the tip of the extractor moves through a length of thefish.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are side elevational views of a fish processing systemaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the fish processing system of FIGS. 1A and1B.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a portion of the fish processingsystem of FIGS. 1A and 1B showing a cutting device thereof.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a portion of the fish processing system ofFIGS. 1A and 1B showing a gutting device thereof in a closedconfiguration.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the portion of the fish processingsystem of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a portion of the fish processing system ofFIGS. 1A and 1B showing the gutting device thereof in an openconfiguration.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the portion of the fish processingsystem of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of an extractor, according to oneembodiment, usable with the fish processing system of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 9 is a front elevational view of the extractor of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the extractor of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a top plan view of the extractor of FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the extractor of FIG. 8 taken alongline 12-12 of FIG. 10.

FIG. 13 is a front elevational view of an extractor, according toanother embodiment, usable with the fish processing system of FIGS. 1Aand 1B.

FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of a portion of the fish processingsystem of FIGS. 1A and 1B showing a vacuum head assembly thereofaccording to one embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of a portion of a fish processingsystem, according to another embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, certain specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various disclosedembodiments. However, one skilled in the relevant art will recognizethat embodiments may be practiced without one or more of these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known structures and techniquesassociated with fish processing systems and methods may not be shown ordescribed in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring descriptions of theembodiments. For instance, well known conveying systems may be used totransport fish through the various fish processing systems and devicesdescribed herein, such as, for example, opposing conveyor belts whichare pressed into contact with the fish by tensioning rollers disposedalong a fish transport path. Drive and control systems may be providedwith the conveyor systems to selectively control a speed with which thebelts move and thus a rate at which fish are processed.

Unless the context requires otherwise, throughout the specification andclaims which follow, the word “comprise” and variations thereof, suchas, “comprises” and “comprising” are to be construed in an open,inclusive sense, that is as “including, but not limited to.”

Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “anembodiment” means that a particular feature, structure or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or“in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification arenot necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, theparticular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined inany suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singularforms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the contentclearly dictates otherwise. It should also be noted that the term “or”is generally employed in its sense including “and/or” unless the contentclearly dictates otherwise.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show a fish processing system 10 according to oneembodiment. The fish processing system 10 includes a fish infeed trough12 for supporting fish 11 in a generally upright position as the fish 11are fed via a infeed conveyor belt 18 toward a cutting device 14, agutting device 16 and other components of the system 10. A guide roller20 may be provided to engage a back of the fish 11 as the fish 11progress toward the cutting device 14 and other components of thesystem. The guide roller 20 may assist in positioning the fish 11 forfurther transport by vertically aligned conveyor belts 22 on opposingsides of the fish 11. The conveyor belts 22 may be driven by drivepulleys 24 and urged toward a centerline of the system 10 by tensionroller assemblies 26 (FIGS. 2, 4 and 6) disposed along a transport pathof the fish 11 to accommodate fish 11 of varying size, shape andfirmness.

Fish 11 are conveyed from the infeed trough 12 towards the cuttingdevice 14. The cutting device 14 may include a floor plate 30 positionedto support the fish 11 as the fish 11 are sequentially fed over a guidefor further processing, such as, for example, a guide rod 32. The floorplate 30 may be flexibly coupled to the cutting device 14 by a springelement or other resilient device 31 to enable the floor plate 30 toflex in response to the fish 11 as the guide rod 32 passes through thefish 11. The floor plate 30 and guide rod 32 interoperate to isolate themeat of the fish belly for cutting and to effectively shield the viscerafrom damage during the cutting operation.

To further protect the viscera and fish from damage, the guide rod 32 ofthe illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 1A and 1B is movably coupled to thefish processing system 10 to move relative to the fish 11 as the fish 11are transported across a blade 34 of the cutting device 14. Moreparticularly, a linkage mechanism 40 couples the blade 34 and guide rod32 to a base 42 of the fish processing system 10 and enables the blade34 and guide rod 32 to move in unison in response to a profile of thefish 11. For instance, as the guide rod 32 approaches a tail end of thefish 11 during the cutting operation, the guide rod 32 is led downwardby the anatomy of the fish thereby displacing the central axis of theblade 34 which moves in unison with the guide rod 32. The blade 34 andguide rod 32 are suspended in space by the linkage mechanism 40 and movein response to a profile of the fish 11 as the guide rod 32 enters theleading end of the fish 11 and moves through the fish 11. Notably, theend of the cutting operation is characterized by a generally downwardmotion of the blade 34 and the guide rod 32 with little to no angularrotation of the guide rod 32 relative to a base reference frame of thefish processing system 10, as described in more detail below.

As shown in FIG. 3, the linkage mechanism 40 may be a four-bar linkageincluding three link members 44, 46, 48 rotatably coupled to each otherand the base 42 at pivot axes 50, 52 (which define a ground link orfixed link). The link members 44, 46, 48 and pivot axes 50, 52 may besized and positioned such that the floating link 48 is maintained at arelatively constant angular orientation with respect to a base referenceframe during the cutting operation. The guide rod 32, which is coupledto move in unison with the floating link 48 via an intermediate plate 33and arm structure 35, is thus able to move in response to a profile ofthe fish 11 without substantial angular rotation of the guide rod 32 asthe guide rod 32 moves through the fish 11. In this manner, the guiderod 32 is configured to traverse through the fish 11 in a particularlyunobtrusive manner to aid in cutting the belly while minimizing the riskof damage to the viscera, including the gonads.

In some embodiments, the linkage mechanism 40 is configured to limit theangular rotation of the floating link 48 and guide rod 32 to fivedegrees or less as the guide rod 32 moves through the length of the fish11 during the cutting operation. In other embodiments, the linkagemechanism 40 is configured to limit the angular rotation of the floatinglink 48 and guide rod 32 to two degrees or less. In still furtherembodiments, the linkage mechanism 40 is configured to maintain theguide rod 32 at the same spatial orientation as the guide rod 32 movesthrough the length of the fish 11. In such embodiments, the groundedlinks 44, 46 of the linkage mechanism 40 operate in a parallelrelationship. In other embodiments, the cutting device 14 of the fishprocessing system 10 may not include a linkage mechanism 40 altogether.Instead, the guide rod 32 may be fixed relative to the base referenceframe or pivotally coupled to the base 42 to rotate through a relativelywide angle of rotation during the cutting operation (e.g., more than tendegrees).

With reference again to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the fish processing system 10of the illustrated embodiment is configured to feed fish 11 which havebeen cut along their belly by the cutting device 14 to the guttingdevice 16 for further processing. More particularly, the fish 11 are fedto the gutting device 16 for removal of the viscera of the fish,including the gonads.

With reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the gutting device 16 includes anextractor 60 that is positionable to enter the fish 11 below thebackbone and above the gullet of the fish 11. A guide 62 may bepositioned upstream of the gutting device 16 to assist in properlyaligning the fish 11 with the extractor 60. During operation, the fish11 pass over the guide 62 after leaving the cutting device 14 and areguided to a predetermined position with respect to the extractor 60, ormore particularly, a tip 64 of the extractor 60. As the tip 64 of theextractor 60 enters and passes through the fish 11, the extractor 60severs the connection between the gullet and the remainder of the fish11.

The extractor 60 is attached to a frame 66 which is movably coupled tothe base 42 of the fish processing system 10 to position the tip 64 ofthe extractor at different elevations or heights during the guttingoperation. For example, in the illustrated embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5,the frame 66 is pivotably coupled to the base 42 to rotate about an axisof rotation 68, as indicated by the arrows labeled 70. During operation,the tip 64 of the extractor 60 may be positioned at a first height whenentering the fish 11 and the tip 64′ moved to another height prior toexiting the fish 11 by rotating the frame 66 and hence extractor 60about the axis of rotation 68. In other embodiments, the frame 66 may becoupled to the base 42 by a linkage mechanism, such as, for example afour-bar linkage mechanism to enable height adjustment of the extractor60 during the gutting operation. In still further embodiments, the frame66 may be coupled to the base 42 to translate linearly, such as, forexample, along elongated slots.

Irrespective of the particular arrangement, the extractor 60 isadvantageously enabled to move between different heights during thegutting operation. In some embodiments, the extractor 60 may movebetween different heights in a step-wise manner, and in otherembodiments, may move in a continuous manner. For example, as shown inthe illustrated embodiment, an actuator 72, such as, for example, atwo-position air cylinder, may be coupled between the frame 66 and thebase 42 to transition the tip 64 of the extractor 60 at a first heightH₁ when entering the fish and a second height H₂ when exiting the fish11. Movement of tension rollers engaging conveyor belts 22 which may betransporting the fish 11, a lever or other mechanism that senses orcontacts the top of the fish 11 during transport, actuators (e.g., aircylinders) coupled to devices that sense or contact the collar oranother part of the fish 11 during transport or other sensing andcontrol devices may be positioned along the transport path of the fish11 to determine a position of the fish 11 during the gutting operationand trigger the actuator 72 to move the tip 64 of the extractor 60accordingly. In addition, as shown in FIG. 1B, a hold down device 80 maybe provided to bias the fish 11 downwardly during the gutting operationto prevent the fish 11 from inadvertently rising due to the insertion ofthe extractor 60.

With reference to FIG. 15, in other embodiments, a fish processingsystem 410 may be provided with a gutting device 416 that includes anextractor 460 positioned downstream of a movable guide 462. The movableguide 462 is shaped and located to position transported fish 11 suchthat the extractor 460 enters the head end of the fish 11 below thebackbone and above the gullet of the fish 11. The extractor 460 mayremain static or substantially static with respect to a frame or base442 of the fish processing system 410 during the gutting operation. Theguide 462 is positioned upstream of the extractor 460 and is movable toassist in aligning the fish 11 with the extractor 460 during operation.More particularly, during operation, fish 11 may pass over the guide 462after leaving a cutting device, such as, for example the cutting device14 shown in FIG. 3, and may be guided to a predetermined position withrespect to the extractor 460, or more particularly, a tip 464 of theextractor 460. As the tip 464 of the extractor 460 enters and passesthrough the fish 11, the extractor 460 severs the connection between thegullet and the remainder of the fish 11.

In the example embodiment of FIG. 15, the guide 462 is movably coupledto the frame or base 442 of the fish processing system 410 to positionan end or tip portion 466 of the guide 462 at different elevations orheights during the gutting operation. For example, the guide 462 may bepivotably coupled to the frame or base 442 to rotate about an axis ofrotation 468, as indicated by the arrows labeled 470 in FIG. 15. Duringoperation, the end or tip portion 466 of the guide 462 may be positionedat a first height H₃ when the extractor 460 enters the fish 11 and theend or tip portion 466′ may be moved to another height H₄ prior to theextractor 460 exiting the fish 11 by rotating the guide 462 about theaxis of rotation 468. In other embodiments, the guide 462 may be coupledto the frame or base 442 by a linkage mechanism, such as, for example, afour-bar linkage mechanism, to enable height adjustment of the end ortip portion 466 of the guide 462 during the gutting operation. In stillfurther embodiments, the guide 462 may be coupled to the base 442 totranslate linearly, such as, for example, along elongated verticalslots.

Irrespective of the particular arrangement, the end or tip portion 466of the guide 462 is advantageously enabled to move between differentheights H₃, H₄ during the gutting operation. In some embodiments, theguide 462 may move between different heights in a step-wise manner, andin other embodiments, may move in a continuous manner. For example, asshown in the illustrated embodiment, an actuator 472, such as, forexample, a two-position air cylinder, may be coupled between the guide462 and the frame or base 442 to transition the end or tip portion 466of the guide 462 at a first height H₃ when entering the fish and asecond height H₄ when exiting the fish 11. Movement of tension rollersengaging conveyor belts 22 which may be transporting the fish 11, alever or other mechanism that senses or contacts a portion of the fish11 during transport, actuators (e.g., air cylinders) coupled to devices488 that sense or contact the collar or another part of the fish 11during transport or other sensing and control devices may be positionedalong the transport path of the fish 11 to determine a position of thefish 11 during the gutting operation and trigger the actuator 472 tomove the end or tip portion 466 of the guide 462 accordingly.

In some embodiments, the end or tip portion 466 of the guide 462 may beconfigured to move from a first height H₃ which positions the fish 11such that the tip 464 of the extractor 460 enters at the head end of thefish 11 below the backbone and above the gullet of the fish and exitsthe tail end of the fish substantially aligned with or below the analvent thereof. In this manner, the end or tip portion 466 of the guide462 may be configured to move from a first height H₃ to a second heightH₄ higher than the first height H₃ during an interval in which the tip464 of the extractor 460 moves through a length of the fish 11 duringthe gutting operation.

Turning back to the example embodiment of FIGS. 1 through 7, and withreference specifically to FIGS. 4 through 7, the gutting device 16 mayfurther include a pair of wing members 82 to assist in gathering visceraof the fish 11 during the gutting operation and to assist in severingthe viscera from the body of the fish 11. The wing members 82 arerotatably coupled to the frame 66 of the gutting device by a hinge 84 orother structure such that the wing members 82 may transition between anopen configuration in which the wing members 82 are spread relativelyfurther apart, as illustrated by the distance labeled D₁ in FIG. 4, anda closed configuration in which the wing members 82 are relativelycloser together, as illustrated by the distance labeled D₂ in FIG. 6.The wing members 82 may flare out to spread opposing sides of the fish11 in a lower region of the fish 11 when entering the same. In addition,the wing members 82 may include a leading end region 86 which extends ortapers toward the centerline of the system 10 to facilitate entry of thewing members 82 in the fish 11 to be processed.

As illustrated best in FIG. 7, the wing members 82 may be configured totransition from the closed configuration (FIGS. 4 and 5) to the openconfiguration (FIGS. 6 and 7) shortly after entering the fish 11.Movement of tension rollers engaging conveyor belts 22 which may betransporting the fish 11, a lever or other mechanism that senses orcontacts the top of the fish 11 during transport, position sensors thatsense or contact the collar or another part of the fish 11 duringtransport or other sensing and control devices may be positioned alongthe transport path of the fish 11 to determine a position of the fish 11during the gutting operation and trigger the wing members 82 to move.For instance, a position sensor 88 may be positioned to sense a positionof the fish 11 during the gutting operation and trigger the wing members82 to transition from the closed configuration (FIGS. 4 and 5) to theopen configuration (FIGS. 6 and 7). An actuator 90 may be coupledbetween the frame 66 and the wing members 82 for this purpose. The wingmembers 82 advantageously gather the viscera in a particularlynondestructive manner during the gutting operation. After gathering theviscera, the wing members 82 may transition back to the closedconfiguration (FIGS. 4 and 5) to assist in separating the viscera fromthe fish by severing the viscera in the intersection 92 between the wingmembers 82 and the extractor 60. Again, movement of the wing members 82may be triggered by a variety of sensor and control devices. Inaddition, the movement of the wing members 82 may be coordinated withmovement of the extractor 60 and/or guide 460 (FIG. 15), such as, forexample, to occur simultaneously or sequentially.

After the viscera is removed by the gutting device 16, the remainingfish product 11 may be transported downstream for further processing andcleaning. For example, one or more kidney scrapers 98 (FIG. 1A) may bepositioned downstream of the gutting device 16 to scrape or otherwisepierce the kidneys of the fish 11. The kidney scrapers 98 may be biasedtoward the underside of the fish to apply a predetermined amount offorce to the fish 11 when scraping or piercing the kidneys. As anotherexample, rotatable brushes 100 may be located downstream of the guttingdevice 16 to further clean the interior of the fish 11 as the fish passover the rotatable brushes 100. Moreover, to prevent inadvertent risingof the fish 11 during the cleaning operation, additional hold downdevices 102 may be positioned to bias the fish 11 downwardly as the fish11 pass over the brushes 100. In some embodiments, fluid jets and/orsuction devices may also be provided in combination with or in lieu ofthe brushes 100 to further clean the remaining fish product 11 duringthe cleaning operation. For example, the fish processing system 10 mayinclude one or more suction head assemblies 104 (FIG. 1A), eachpositioned between adjacent brushes 100, as described in greater detailfurther below. After the fish product 11 is adequately gutted andcleaned, the fish product 11 may be discharged from the fish processingsystem 10 for packaging, or in some cases, further processing. Theviscera, including the gonads, can also be discharged or collected forpackaging or further processing.

FIGS. 8 through 12 illustrate one embodiment of an extractor 110 whichis shaped in a particularly efficient and compact form factor to processfish 11 in a reliable and repeatable manner. The extractor 110 has agenerally elongate body 112 which extends from a leading end or tip 114to a trailing end 116. The leading end or tip 114 tapers toward a pointand includes a convex upper surface to enter the fish 11 in aparticularly nondestructive manner. The tip 114 is also inclinedrelative to a horizontal reference plane. In the illustrated embodiment,for example, the tip 114 inclines in two stages toward a horizontalsurface 120 on the underside of the extractor 110. According to theillustrated embodiment, the incline includes two generally flat inclinedsurfaces 118, 124; however, it is contemplated that in other embodimentsthe inclined portion of the tip could be a single, flat inclined surfaceor could be a non-planar surface or non-planar surfaces.

The extractor 110 further includes downwardly open grooves 122 atopposing sides of the extractor 110 near the tip 114. The grooves 122may have a v-shape (as illustrated), a u-shape or other shapecross-sectional profile. The grooves 122 are positioned relative to thetip 114 to assist in severing the gullet from the fish 11 during agutting operation in a nondestructive manner.

The extractor 110 may also include slots 130, apertures or otherfeatures for securing the extractor 110 to a gutting device, such as thegutting devices 16 described herein. The slots 130 may allow for theextractor 110 to be adjusted fore and aft to interface, for example,with a guide 62 or other structure that feeds fish 11 toward theextractor 110. Also, the extractor 110 is interchangeably coupleable tothe gutting device 16 to facilitate servicing or replacement.

With reference to FIG. 12, a cross-sectional profile of the tip 114 ofthe extractor 110 may include a profile having a central portiondisposed between the opposing downwardly open grooves 122 when viewingthe profile in a direction along a longitudinal length of the extractor110. The profile may include an upper profile section 132 that is convexand a lower profile section 134 between the grooves 122 that issubstantially linear. In this manner, the overall profile may generallyresemble a D-shape or semicircular shape with opposing grooves 122 atthe corners.

With reference to FIG. 13, another extractor 210 is shown havingopposing downwardly open grooves 222 that are u-shaped. The tip 214 ofthe extractor 210 also includes a central inclined surface 218 that isconcavely shaped. In this manner, a cross-sectional profile of the tip214 may include an upper profile section that is convex and a lowerprofile section 234 between the grooves 222 that is arcuate, curvilinearor convex. The overall profile may generally resemble a bat wing. Inother embodiments, the cross-sectional profile of a tip of the extractormay have other shapes, such as, for example, a D-shape with a saw toothor scalloped lower profile section.

FIG. 14 illustrates one embodiment of a suction head assembly 104 whichis particularly well suited for cleaning an internal cavity of a fish 11after the viscera of the fish 11 is removed. The suction head assembly104 may be positioned downstream of a cutting device 14 (FIG. 1B) andgutting device 16 (FIG. 1B) to receive fish 11 which have been processedto remove the viscera, such as, for example, in the ways describedabove. In some embodiments, the suction head assembly 104 may be locatedbetween adjacent cleaning brushes 100 and configured in such a manner tosuction material from the internal cavity of the fish 11 as the fish 11passes across the suction head assembly 104 between the brushes 100. Thesuction head assembly 104 may be removably coupled to a mounting bracket310 of the fish processing system 10 with fastener devices, such as, forexample, threaded bolts.

As shown in the illustrated embodiment, the vacuum head assembly 104 mayinclude one or more elongated flexible suction members 302, 302′extending from a main body 300 of the vacuum head assembly 104. Thesuction members 302, 302′ may be tubular members, for example, of asemi-rigid material, such as, for example, various plastics. The suctionmembers 302, 302′ are positioned such that as a fish 11 passes over thevacuum head assembly 104, the suction members 302, 302′ are caused toflex in the direction of travel in a response to the interaction withanatomy of the fish 11, as represented by the suction members 302′ shownin broken lines. In this manner, the suction members 302, 302′ mayclosely track an inner profile of the fish 11 and clean the fish 11quite effectively during a cleaning operation. An end 304 of the suctionmembers 302, 302′ may be inclined such that the end 304 is orientedsubstantially parallel to surfaces of the internal cavity of the fish 11as the suction members 302, 302′ flex during the cleaning operation. Thesuction members 302, 302′ may be positioned sequentially when more thanone suction member 302, 302′ is provided, such as, for example, as shownin the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 14.

The main body 300 of the suction head assembly 104 includes a suctioncavity which is coupled to a vacuum source (not shown) and the one ormore suction members 302, 302′ via a conduit 312 to create a vacuumwithin the suction members 302, 302′ to draw fluid and other matter fromthe internal cavity of the fish 11 during the cleaning operation. Themain body 308 may further include a fluid jet passage 308 coupled to awater source or other source of cleaning solution or liquid (not shown)to discharge water or other cleaning solution or liquid into the cavityof the fish 11 as the fish 11 moves across the vacuum head assembly 104during the cleaning operation. The fluid jet passage 308 may bepositioned to direct fluid into the cavity slightly upstream of wherethe suction members 302, 302′ interoperate with the fish 11 to assist inthe cleaning operation.

The main body 300 of the vacuum head assembly 104 may also include astop portion 306 to limit movement of the one or more suction members302, 302′ during the cleaning operation. For example, as shown in FIG.14, a portion 306 of the main body 300 may be located downstream of thesuction members 302, 302′ and may be correspondingly shaped to acurvature of the suction members 302, 302′ in a flexed positioncorresponding to a desired limit of travel. In this manner, the suctionmembers 302, 302′, may be oriented to clean the fish 11 in aparticularly efficient manner throughout at least a substantial portionof the cleaning operation as the fish 11 passes over the vacuum headassembly 104. Various control and positioning mechanisms, such as, forexample, hold down devices 102 (FIG. 1A) may be positioned to bias thefish 11 downwardly as the fish 11 pass over the vacuum head assembly104. In some embodiments, a fluid jet passage 308 may not be provided ormay be provided in a separate device remote from the main body 300. Insome embodiments, sensors and other control mechanisms may be providedto activate the suction of the suction head assemblies 104 and/or thefluid jet discharged from the fluid jet passage 308 in response to alocation of the fish 11 as it moves toward and across the vacuum headassembly 104 during operation.

Although many aspects of the fish processing systems 10, 410 and methodsdescribed herein are discussed in the context of an integrated systemfor processing fish in a particularly efficient and reliable manner, itis appreciated that aspects may be applied to a wide range of fishprocessing systems, subsystems and other devices. For example, thecutting devices 14 and gutting devices 16, 416 described herein may befreestanding units or may be integrated into various other processingsystems having a variety of capabilities. As another example, theextractors 60, 110, 210 and cleaning head assemblies 104 describedherein may be incorporated into other known fish processing devices withlittle or no modification to such systems.

Still further, although the fish processing systems and methodsdescribed herein are discussed in the context of producing head and gutproduct, it is appreciated that upon review and study of the presentdisclosure, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artthat aspects of the various embodiments described herein may be modifiedto process fish in which the head of the fish is only partially cut fromthe fish body.

Moreover, the various embodiments described above can be combined toprovide further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to theembodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, inthe following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limitthe claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specificationand the claims, but should be construed to include all possibleembodiments along with the full scope of equivalents to which suchclaims are entitled. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by thedisclosure.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A fish processing system, comprising: ablade to incise a belly of a fish when the fish is transported from anupstream location across the blade; and a gutting device positioneddownstream of the blade, the gutting device including an extractor and aguide, the guide movably coupled to the fish processing system toselectively position the guide such that a tip of the extractor enters ahead end of the fish below a backbone and above a gullet of the fish andexits a tail end of the fish substantially aligned with or below an analvent of the fish during a gutting operation.
 2. The fish processingsystem of claim 1 wherein the guide is configured to automatically movefrom a first height to a second height during an interval in which thetip of the extractor moves through a length of the fish during thegutting operation.
 3. The fish processing system of claim 2, furthercomprising: an actuator coupled to the guide to move the guide betweenthe first height and the second height during the gutting operation. 4.The fish processing system of claim 3, further comprising: a sensorpositioned to sense a location of the fish during the gutting operationand trigger the actuator to move the guide.
 5. The fish processingsystem of claim 1 wherein the gutting device further includes a pair ofopposing wing members configured to move between an open configurationand a closed configuration.
 6. The fish processing system of claim 5wherein the wing members are configured to enter a head end of a fish inthe closed configuration and thereafter move to the open configurationto gather viscera of the fish.
 7. The fish processing system of claim 5wherein the wing members are further configured to move from the openconfiguration toward the closed configuration to assist in severing theviscera from the fish prior to when the wing members exit the fish. 8.The fish processing system of claim 5 wherein movement of the wingmembers is coordinated with movement of the guide.
 9. The fishprocessing system of claim 8 wherein the wing members are configured totransition from the open configuration to the closed configuration atabout the same time when a tip of the guide moves from a first height toa second height higher than the first height.
 10. The fish processingsystem of claim 8 wherein the wing members are configured to transitionfrom the open configuration to the closed configuration after the guidemoves from a first height to a second height higher than the firstheight.
 11. The fish processing system of claim 8 wherein the wingmembers are configured to transition from the closed configuration tothe open configuration after the extractor enters the fish and a leadingedge of each respective wing member is near a collar of the fish. 12.The fish processing system of claim 1, further comprising: an upstreamguide positioned to be inserted into a body of the fish to guide theposition of the fish as the belly is cut by the blade during a cuttingoperation; and a linkage mechanism coupled to the upstream guide and theblade, the linkage mechanism configured to enable the upstream guide tomove in response to a profile of the fish as the upstream guide movesthrough a length of the fish during the cutting operation.
 13. The fishprocessing system of claim 1, further comprising: a vacuum head assemblypositioned downstream of the gutting device to clean a cavity of thefish after the gutting operation, the vacuum head assembly including atleast one flexible suction member located to flex in response to theanatomy of the fish as the fish moves across the vacuum head assemblyduring a cleaning operation.
 14. The fish processing system of claim 13wherein the vacuum head assembly further includes a fluid jet passage todischarge fluid into the cavity of the fish as the fish moves across thevacuum head assembly during the cleaning operation.
 15. The fishprocessing system of claim 13 wherein the vacuum head assembly furtherincludes a body having a stop portion to limit movement of the at leastone flexible suction member during the cleaning operation.
 16. The fishprocessing system of claim 13 wherein the vacuum head assembly includesat least two sequentially positioned suction members to clean the cavityof the fish during the cleaning operation.
 17. A method of processingfish, the method comprising: transporting a fish across a blade toincise a belly of the fish; and passing the fish across a gutting devicepositioned downstream of the blade such that a tip of an extractor ofthe gutting device enters a head end of the fish below a backbone andabove a gullet thereof and exits a tail end of the fish substantiallyaligned with or below an anal vent thereof.
 18. The method of claim 17,further comprising: moving the extractor from a first height to a secondheight lower than the first height during an interval in which the tipof the extractor moves through a length of the fish.
 19. The method ofclaim 17, further comprising: moving a guide upstream of the extractorfrom a first height to a second height higher than the first heightduring an interval in which the tip of the extractor moves through alength of the fish.